PETA’s Vibrant Message Before Christmas: “Reindeer Shouldn’t Be Anyone’s Ride, Not Even Santa’s”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) strongly condemned reindeer carrying Santa’s sleigh in a statement sent a few days before Christmas. According to PETA, Santa’s reindeer are being used for human entertainment, and the organization typically opposes using animals for entertainment.

The animal rights organization said in the post on X (previously Twitter) that “Reindeer shouldn’t be anyone’s ride—not even Santa’s.”

The image, which was purposefully released throughout the Christmas season, has received a lot of attention from social media users.

“Those reindeer would be taught to pull the sleigh if Santa was genuine and they really did fly. Animals may be taught to do certain activities. Because Santa is the nicest guy alive, he would reward or treat animals as if they were the finest creatures on the planet. Animals love to work for rewards,” a user said.

In response, PETA said, “Animals are not for our use in any manner. Without human intervention, reindeer should be able to exist in peace and harmony in their natural environment.”

“The reindeer and Santa aren’t real! just for children! Come on, they shouldn’t be misused or abused,” said a different user.

“Why can’t we all just let this go? Are you truly more concerned about the welfare of the reindeer than the elves’ working conditions? utterly quiet about the latter matter,” said a third user.
Since ancient times, reindeer have been connected to Santa Claus and are a major feature of Christmas festivities.